- Green Lifestyle
You need… all leftovers from the day.
While starring into my fridge last night, thinking what I could “quickly fix” for dinner, I realized all over again, that my eyes had apparently been bigger than my stomach when I shopped for groceries.
Barbara Beiertz
Half a cabbage. An open can of coconut milk. A last slice of lemon. Not to mention the wrinkly apples, an inch of ginger, pizza dough, which will go bad soon, and lots of other things. Hmm…what now?
Get creative.
How about a red cabbage strudel? Grate the cabbage in mid-size pieces, chop up the apple into small cubes. Ginger? That could work when it’s finely grated. Something sweet-and-sour to add? Balsamic vinegar? Or maple syrup and lemon juice? Both would work.
Add salt, pepper, and a bit of olive oil and mix everything well (preferably with your hands), spread mixture on the rolled-out pizza dough, roll the whole thing into a strudel, and bake in the oven. Easily prepared and super tasty.
To be honest, quite often I am more inspired by the random ingredients of my fridge than by a cookbook. And when I am really not sure if two things go well together, I try a bit of each one of them – Once you taste them together in your mouth it becomes pretty obvious if it works or not.
From left-over coffee (I always prepare too much in the cafetiere) you can make a really fine syrup or coffee essence. A genius little add-on for pasta sauces, salad dressings, or whenever mushrooms or other vegetables simply taste boring. You need 7 fl oz espresso, 2 tbsp sugar, orange zest, 1 red chili pepper, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar. Boil everything down into a syrup. Strain through a fine sieve. Done. It also makes the perfect gift when you fill it into a pretty bottle.
Of course, you could always use fresh groceries for cooking. But: Your conscience cannot be turned off. And respect can also be shown in your meals. So, be courageous and just try some random fridge-combos. After all, that is how paella and bouillabaisse were discovered.
